Method of and appabatus fob automatic actuation of mechanisms



Jan. 2, 1923; 1,441,007

Ev Ev LITTLEFIELD. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC ACTUATION OF MECHANISMS.

ORIGINAL FI LED FEB. 5, 1913.

I] l I I I l I 5] nvawtoz Patented Jan. 2, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,441,001 PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR E. LITTLEFIELD, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC ACTUATION OF MECHANISMS.

Original application filed February 5, 1913, Serial No. 746,417. Divided and this application filed September 11, 1915.

To all whomt may cmwern Be it known that I, EDGAR E. LIT'PLEFIELD, a. citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Seattle, county of King, State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Automatic Actuation ot' Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of an application filed b me on the 5th day of February, 1913, erial Number 746,417, for methods of and apparatus for automatic actuation of mechanisms, which application has eventuated into Patent Number 1335380, dated March30, 1920.

My invention relates to methods of and apparatus for automatic actuation of mechanisms through the medium of temperatureresponsive devices which are placed to be influenced by the varying temperature of a bath.

()ne of the objects of my invention is to provide a method and means for automatically regulating the flow of fluids and particularly for regulating the flow of fluid for flushing such apparatus as urinals, water closets, and the like. As is well known such fixtures as urinals which depend on proper flushing by the use of timed devices or manual operation either waste considerable water or, as constantly happens, go unflushed. T o overcome these objections I have developed and applied a method of operation which is entirely automatic and practically instantaneous.

Other and further objects of my invention will become obvious, to persons skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein;

Figure 1 is a view, )artly in elevation and partly in section, of a urinal employing a temperature-responsive device .in the form of a thermo-electric battery; Figure 2 is the same as Figure 1 except as to difference in location of parts.

Figure 3 shows a thermopile in conventional form together with the circuit ar rangement and other parts more particularly described elsewhere in the specification.

I have found that the thermal conditions of the waste deposited in such recep- Serial N0. 323,142.

tacles as urinals, water closets and the like, is such as will operate a thermo-electric battery placed to berinfluenced thereby and the current developed applied to operate a relay, or analogous instrument, to thereby control or operate other forces or mechanisms.

Referring to Figure 1, 6 is a thermo-pile so placed as to be immersed in or otherwise directly afiected by the fluid contents of the urinal or equivalent bath-containing vessel. .These thermal couples are, of course, insulated from direct contact with the fluid, as indicated. Closely associated with and insulated from the thermal couples, are plates 60 which project into the Water and are also shown as extending across the discharge passage so that if a number were used, as would be the case, they will form a screen for solid matter deposited in the basin. These being in direct contact with the water are kept cooled thereby. 'It is not deemed necessary to suggest a particular type of thermopile to be employed since one skilled in the art will be able to obtain in the open market a type which will satisfactorily meet the requirements. The plates 60 are so arranged with respect to the pile as to assist in radiating heat from the junctions intended to be cooled. In Figure 1 they are shown disposed near the bottom of the fluid-containing vessel where the temperature of the fluid is lower than at the surface, or near the same, where the junctions intended to be heated are placed. In Figure 2 the plates are arranged outside the vessel where they are subject to the cooling elfect of air currents. The function of the plates 60 being merely to assist in radiating heat from the cooled junctions they may be omitted if desired.

Freshly discharged urine has a temperature much higher than that of such water as would be used for flushing urinals. When discharged into the urinal it will raise the temperature somewhat, which, acting upon the thermo-couples will produce a current of suflicient strength to actuate a relay, as 30.

Thermo-couples are very sensitive to changes of temperature and will develop a sufiicient current upon a very slight change of temperature.

in Figure 2 the. construction is aliklc, except that the cooling plates are without the bowl of the urinal and the plates which constitute the thermo-pile extend through a hole in the bowl.

In this ligure the heavier insulation has been omitted from that part of the thermopilc outside the bowl for the reason that its use is unnecessary since the li( uid is not in contact with that part of the tliermopile.

Upon use of the device, as of Figure 1, by deposit of waste a thermo-electric current will be generated in the thermo-pile 6 which current, flowing in circuit 61, will actuate the relay 30, thereby controlling another and independent source of energy which may be applied through an suitable mechanism to perform any work esired. l have shown this rela as controlling a circuit 50, which contains an electrically operated valve 7, placed in the pipe 70, which supplies the flushing water for the urinal. The independent source of energy is represented by the battery 5, for which may be substituted any other suitable source, as a dynamo. 51 and 1 are the armature of the relay 30, and the urinal bowl, respectively. This figure also shows a fan 72 operated by the water supplied to pipe through the water motor 71.

When the flushing action occurs the temperature of the bath is lowered and the g -neration of current reduced to such a point that the relay contact 51 will be opened. throwing out of action the operating current in circuit 50.

It is evident that practically any other apparatus might be operated in an analogous manner.

There are many uses to which the principles of this invention may be put. It may be used to operate pumping or flushing apparatus; to care for sewerage, factory wastes and like purposes.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. A flushing system comprising, a receptacle to be flushed, a source of fluid therefor, a valve controlling the flow from said source to the receptacle, electro-magnet-ic means controlling the operation of said valve, a circuit for said electro-magnetic means, and a temperature responsive device for controlling said circuit which is placed to be influenced by the temperature of the fluid supplied by said valve.

2. The combination with a urinal, of

flushing means therefor including a temperature responsive device placed to be influenced by the temperature of the waste.

3. A flushing system comprising, a member to be flushed, a source of fluid therefor, a valve controlling the flow from said source to said member, a temporature-responsive device placed to be influenced by the temperature of the fluid received by said mem- )er, and operating means for said valve controlled by said tempcrature-responsive device.

4. A flushing device for waste receiving receptacles comprising, a thcrmo-elcctric battery placed to be influenced by the temperature of the waste rcccivcd by said receptacle, and means for applying the electrlcity generated by said battery to the operation of a flushing mechanism.

5. The combination with a urinal, of flushing means therefor including an electricaliy-controlled valve, a controlling circuit therefor and means for controlling said circuit comprising a temperature responsive device which is placed to he influenced by the waste received by said urinal.

6. The method of controlling a thermally controlled electromagnetic flushing system which consists in automatically stopping the flow of flushing fluid by exposing the thermal controlling means to the temperature of said fluid.

7. The method of controlling a thermally controlled electromagnetic flushing system which consists in controlling the flow of flushing fluid by exposing the thermal controlling means to the temperature of said fluid.

'8. The method of controlling a thermally controlled electromagnetic flushing system which consists in subjecting the thermal controlling means to the temperature of the material to be removed and then subjecting it to the temperature of the flushing fluid.

' 9. The )rocess of controlling the action of toilet flus ling apparatus which consists in generating a thermo-electric current by the heat contained in the body wastes and using said current to energize the flushing mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixedmy signature at Seattle. \\"ashington. this 6th day of September, 1919.

EDGAR E. LI'ITLICFIlllll).

\Vit-ness:

M. R. JAMnsoN. 

